Don't Have "Innovation" in Your Title? Doesn't Matter.

In my humble opinion, we’ve let the word innovation get too far away from its meaning.

It’s been hijacked by pitch decks and product teams, inflated to mean breakthrough inventions and billion-dollar launches. So when people say, “I’m not in innovation,” what they really mean is: I’m not in charge of new features or big bets.

But that’s a narrow view. One that leaves value on the table.

At its core, innovation is simply this: making something meaningfully better. That could be a new product, sure. But it could also be a process, a customer interaction, a workflow, a hiring practice, a decision framework, a pricing model. Innovation isn’t always about what’s flashy. Sometimes it’s about what quietly works better.

So if you’re in a role where you’re expected to improve outcomes, reduce waste, spot opportunities, fix broken systems, or deliver more value to customers—you’re in the innovation business. Whether your title says it or not.

• If you have to find new ways to grow...

• If you have to make the complex simpler...

• If you have to respond to shifting customer needs...

• If you have to challenge assumptions...

• If you have to adapt to tighter budgets or higher expectations...

• If you have to build something your team can’t yet see clearly...

• If you have to take what exists and make it work better, faster, smarter…

  
  

...then innovation is in your remit.

And that’s a good thing. Because the organizations that treat innovation as everyone’s job—not just a department’s mandate—tend to stay closer to the customer, solve problems faster, and find traction where others stall.

If you're in Product, and you’re tasked with prioritizing roadmaps, shipping improvements, or reducing churn—you are innovating.

If you're in Marketing, and you’re expected to cut through noise, reach new segments, or reposition offerings—you are innovating.

If you're in Customer Experience, and you're trying to streamline journeys, reduce effort, or raise NPS—you are innovating.

If you're in Sales Enablement, and you’re building tools that make the story clearer, the pitch tighter, or the close faster—you are innovating.

If you're in Strategy, and you're assessing shifting market dynamics, spotting threats early, or shaping long-range plans—you are innovating.

If you're in HR or L&D, and you’re redesigning onboarding, upskilling talent, or strengthening culture—you are innovating.

If you're in Finance or Ops, and you’re improving workflows, speeding up decisions, or optimizing resource allocation—you are innovating.

Innovation isn’t something “other people” do. It’s baked into the job—when the job is to make things better.

At CoinJar Insights, we work with people across functions—Product, Marketing, CX, Strategy—who didn’t always think of themselves as “innovators.” Until they realized they were already doing the work. They just needed better inputs and clearer signals. (That’s where Catalytic Customers come in.

Because the most reliable way to make something better is to understand what “better” actually looks like—to the people you serve.